


To those who wait

by ems4179



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: F/F, F/M, Portal Travel, author is nuts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-16
Updated: 2016-05-16
Packaged: 2018-06-08 21:27:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6874009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ems4179/pseuds/ems4179
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As the group with all its Slayers works on destroying all the hellmouthes on earth, Willow (with help from Dawn's blood) comes up with a spell that will allow them to escape the crumbling hellmouth.  The only catch is that the first person through the portal created must be very sure of where they want to go.  The rest of the gang is thinking of Hawaii.  Xander being Xander loses focus. More intent on escape, Kennedy shoves him through anyway... and the gang ends up in the world of Final Fantasy VII... with no way to return home ever again.  Hi-jinks ensue.</p><p>Disclaimer: I own nothing of import and I certainly don't own FFVII, Buffy or anything to do with their universes.  I just thought it would be fun to mix them together and see what happens.</p><p>Disclaimer Pt 2: I wrote this some time ago but I read over it and still like it so I'm posting it now.  And maybe soon, I will be able to get back to the two stories that hate me.  Maybe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Willow took a deep breath and looked over the small group assembled before her in the dingy hotel room. She cast a glance over at her girlfriend Kennedy who gave her a reassuring smile, she then looked over the faces of her nearest and dearest once more before she started talking. "Okay…so…last night… I came up with a solution - of sorts - for our problem. I was thinking about what Xander said about needing a portal out from the Hellmouth when everything goes kaplooey and I know that at the time we laughed about it but actually, it's not really THAT funny. I thought about it and I have an actual idea that should – will - work. There are just two problems: One, I can't say for sure where we'll end up and two, I'll have to tap into Dawn's power - her whole Key thing – to do it."

She took a deep breath, glad to have gotten it all out quickly and without interruption. She was unsurprised to see Dawn looking happy at the prospect of being useful outside of her role of 'Junior Watcher'. She could still remember her almost-daughter's elation and fear in equal measure when they'd all believed that she was the Chosen One thanks to a spell that had gone awry. She was even less surprised to see Buffy looking absolutely furious at the idea of her Sister being used in a risky plan.

Buffy met Willow's eyes. "Are you seriously telling me that you want to use Dawn's power, open up another dimension and have us go through to escape being dragged to Hell? What about Dawn? Can she come with us or would she be trapped behind?" She shook her head, bewildered. "From what I'm hearing, you're saying that while we go down and take out the uber-vamps and another Hellmouth, without Spike's help this time, you want me to bring my little sister into the mix? You've lost your mind, haven't you?” Buffy’s tone didn’t even sound particularly angry as she stated that, it was more that she actually believed that Willow was insane and should be humoured. “Don't you think it was bad enough last time when she was up TOP, rather than smack-bang in the middle of the action?" She stared at her crazy friend. "Not enough shoes this week?"

Willow frowned. "No. I mean, not about the shoes although, now I think about it, I haven't had a new pair in about a month but that's beside the point. The point is, I haven't gone mad, no." She sighed and stood up. "Look, it's not like we're doing anything new here. We may not have Spike but we know what he did and I can harness that power now. You know that. You've SEEN that – it's effectively the part of sunlight that's deadly to the vamps and on a huge scale – a vampiric nuke, if you will. The problem is that the spell tends to come with the slight problem of destabilising the area the Hellmouth resided in. Trying to get everyone out… we’re going to run out of luck there eventually, Buffy."

She shrugged as she looked around at everyone. "Look, I'm not asking for Dawnie to be present through the initial battle but our escape WILL have to be in the Hellmouth. That's where the majority of us will be so it makes sense. She'd be upstairs with Kelly and I while I cast the nuke spell. The spell for the portal is relatively simple – just calls for about half a cup of blood and a few words to be spoken. So I figure that Kelly can deal with it while I cast the sunlight, right? It'll be over before you know it, Buffy. Nothing to worry about." We'll even have another Slayer to keep guard and help us stay safe on the way down if you deem it necessary. See? Minimal danger for Dawn."

Buffy was about to protest further but suddenly Dawn was there in front of her, looking down on her with that Summers look which meant business. "Buffy, we have to do this, we have to. This is something I can do, something useful. Let me do it. Mom wouldn't want you to save me in exchange for the whole world. She'd want us BOTH to do what we could to save everyone, you know that."

Buffy's mind drifted back to when their mother had first realised that she was indeed the Slayer, that she risked her life on a daily basis to save the world and how she'd forbidden her to try and save the world, as she was terrified of losing her. For a moment she doubted her sister's words but then she realised that lots of things had changed since then. Regardless of what their mom would or wouldn't do, she was gone. Buffy couldn't sit back and do nothing. She looked at her sister, desperation clear in her gaze. "How would that be taking care of you, Dawn? Mom would totally kill me. Besides, what's wrong with my blood – it’s worked before, didn’t it."

Willow cut across her then. "I thought of that but it won't work. Your blood worked to close the portal, Buffy. Because once it had been opened, it only needed more blood to close. It won't work to open it because you don't have the Key in you. You're only human… err… Slayer." She sighed softly. "Buffy, if we’re serious about going after all the hellmouthes, we can’t keep winging it like we did in Sunnydale - we can't keep trusting that we will all make it out in time. At some point, it’s going to turn into a suicide mission without Dawn. I mean, this is a relatively small Hellmouth – just like the one we sent Faith and the other Slayers off to but, it’s still a Hellmouth. We have no way of knowing if it will go the same way as Sunnydale or if it will be quicker. Maybe it won’t do anything at all – maybe the vamps will just disappear and that will be it but, we just don’t know. We need to take as many of the problems out of the equation as we can. We’re already spread a bit thin, given that Faith has the scythe.” Not that they needed it – once the slayers realised that the uber-vamps could be killed, they had gained confidence enough to be able to deal with them without. Sure, it was a boon to have it with them but they could deal.

Buffy's gut twisted at the reminder of what was missing – it was a fair exchange, after all – a Scythe or Willow on side. It wasn't a hard choice. She still didn't quite trust Faith. While she knew the Scythe would be fine in her hands even if she did turn rogue, trusting her with her family was another matter entirely but she still felt the loss of the scythe – it was an almost physical ache. It would all be worth it in the end, of course – the world would be safer without hell's army just waiting for a chance to get free. Plus, it made her happy to know that the First was seriously pissed off every time they messed up its plans.

Giles had remained silent until then, just trying to work it all out in his head. "Willow, where will we come out? Isn’t there a real possibility that we could up back in Glory's hell dimension?"

Willow shook her head. "No. That's what put me off at first but Dawn's power isn't actually related to that particular dimension – or any other. It's simply a case that Glory wanted to go there; therefore she would have, if she'd ever been able to get as far as opening up the portal herself. The first person through decides where our final destination will be. With that in mind, if we are going to do this, we need to decide on a place, make sure we all agree. When we are going through, we all need to keep the destination in mind, just to be on the safe side. Can't take the chance of ending up in the world of Mickey Mouse or stuck in the middle of Mary Poppins." She saw that Xander suddenly perked up and knew what he was about to say. "Yes Xander - that really could happen. So we all HAVE to be very careful."


	2. Chapter 2

The battle was raging and there was no denying that it looked bad. Buffy wasn't worried, though. This time, she actually meant it. Looking down didn't freak out either the girl or the Slayer in her. She just felt calm… and eager for the fight to start. This was nothing new, after all. They all knew how it would go. Willow was after all upstairs already, preparing the Sun spell whilst nearby, Kelly, a Slayer proficient in the ways of Wicca, was preparing everything for the portal spell.

They had worked it out that Willow would finish the spell as they walked down, flanked by two slayers, When they got to the rest of the group, the sunspell should be activating just as Kelly sliced the palm of Dawn's hand, blood flowing to activate the portal. Kelly would then speak the words, the portal would open and they would file through, just as the spell hit full power and killed the vamps – or at least, enough to truly decimate the First's strength.

Of course, so few of their plans ever went to actual… well, plan that, when this one didn't, no one was really that surprised. They had made their way down, the Vampire-Nuke spell kicking in, the portal was open and the newer slayers had flooded through. However, just as Willow and the rest were about to go through, an uber-vamp, intent on escape or at least taking some of them with them to hell had attacked Kelly.

She wasn't seriously injured but it was enough to make her attention slip and the portal closed. By the time that Buffy got over there and dusted the vamp, Kelly was once more on her feet. Dawn fortunately in this case, was still bleeding so was able to release enough blood as Kelly spoke the words once more to open the Portal. They escaped just as the ground gave way, Buffy being the last bar one to get through. Sadly, Kelly didn't make it. The last sight that Xander had seen of her as he looked back was one of horror and loss as she realised what was happening.

The fact that another Hellmouth had been destroyed, taking thousands of uber-vamps back to hell sounded like something to celebrate and in fact, was a wonderful victory. Indeed it even sounded like a moment to do the Snoopy Dance of Joy – which it was, despite the lives lost in the name of freedom for the rest of the world. Buffy was almost tempted…She would have to deal with the loss of yet more lives but that could wait a while later. Something important finally registered - the world in which they found themselves was neither Hawaii nor indeed their own world. She swallowed down a lump in her throat that could have almost been anxiety and tried to get her bearings. When she had to concede that she really didn't know where they were, she looked around. "Who was the first person through the Portal?"

All eyes looked to Xander - of course. With a weary sigh, she looked at him. "Okay Xander, where did you send us?"  _Please don’t let it be Star Wars or Star Trek…_

Xander looked more than a little worried – nervous even. "It's not my fault Buff. I mean, come on! You tell us to think of only one thing; of nothing else… you have any idea how hard that is? I was TRYING but I'm not dense – knew I couldn't hold it together so I tried to move back; let someone else go first but Kennedy kept pushing me forward and I just couldn't get away. She's a Slayer, Buffy. I'm only a man. I didn't stand a chance." He gave her his best apologetic smile, which somehow always made him look like the cutest puppy to Buffy, and made her want to snuggle him. She didn't though, sighed and shook her head slowly.

Giles sighed, pulled off his glasses to clean them. "Xander, can we forget your many reasons for not being to blame and concentrate on where exactly we are? That would be of far more pressing concern so that we can deal with any hostility in the appropriate manner for this world – wherever we are. It's not Gotham City, is it?" If he remembered correctly, that was the fictional world that Spiderman came from… or was that Batman? He scowled, yanked off his glasses to clean them. As if it mattered.

Xander sighed. "We're… I guess we’re in the world of Final Fantasy Seven. I'm sorry. I didn't mean… I TRIED to get…"

Buffy stopped any more rambling apologies by placing her hand on his arm. "Okay Xander. Why don't you sit down, hmm? It's not that big a problem. I mean sure, it would have been if we'd landed in the hell of eternal flames but we can breathe the air, there's nothing trying to kill us for right now. I'm sure that Willow and Dawn can get us back, right?" She cast her glance over to her friend.

Willow who had up to that moment been wearing a perplexed expression, finally registered her look did her best to look alert and innocent. "Oh! Oh sure but eh, not right now. Kelly didn't make it, Buffy. She's not here. So I'll have to do it and that's not a problem but first, I need a little time to rest and get my strength back and then I'll do it. I’m kinda pooped."

Giles nodded. "She's right. We should all get some rest." He pulled the pack off his back and started pulling out medical supplies before getting to the more serious job of treating any injuries that the much-smaller group had obtained.

Buffy looked at Xander. "Okay, while we're winding down from the fight and in lieu of silly movies and popcorn, you can explain the world to us…”

 


	3. Chapter 3

Xander stopped talking and stretched some time later. He looked around at them all in turn, gauging their reactions. No one seemed completely freaked out so he considered that another victory of sorts. "That's about all I can remember right now at least. Without knowing when exactly we are, I can't say for sure what is going on in the world but there's a high chance that Sephiroth or his clones are here, they're coming or have just been. From the film and games, I got the feeling this was something that wasn't going to go away any time soon."

Willow stared. "So… what you're telling me is that we're currently in a world where there's a guy who, if he's around at present, is wishing to destroy all humanity so that he can ride the planet back to see his mother?" She snorted. "That's some serious mommy issues right there. Maybe he just needs a hug."

Xander shook his head in disbelief. "I'm crushed, Will. You just reduced one of the gaming world's most notorious baddies to a broken-hearted Mommy's boy." Willow shrugged as she looked at him. "Am I wrong?" Xander sagged. "…no. It does kinda fit." Giles frowned. "It doesn't sound that much different from Glory when you think of it – she was willing to send our world to hell simply so that she could get back to her own. Buffy snorted. Great. Oh well, he's not a vampire. That has to be a step up, right?" She paused. "Do they have vampires in this world, Xander?" She sagged slightly in disappointment as he shook his head.

"Not unless you include Vincent. The Jury's still out on that one, I'm afraid but no. Oh, there are still plenty of random monsters to defeat… which, now that I think about it... might actually be a problem. If we move, we need to move on a pathway, I think – or is that Final Fantasy Eight?" He growled and shook his head in agitation. "I can't remember."

He stopped talking as he realised that both Buffy and Kennedy were glaring at him. "Oh. Right. Slayers… happy with violence; the chance to kill bad things... Sorry. I take it you won't need any more rest, then? Oh well then… good. Good. Nothing to worry about." His smile then looked just this side of deranged as he decided it was time to turn the attention to someone else before he got himself into any more trouble. "So how's that escape portal coming, Will?"

Willow flopped onto the ground with a pout marring her pretty features. "It's not. I can't do it. This would be a simple affair – if Kelly were here. She's not though. Obviously. I have the return spell to use – because I figured that someone would think of something else. I mean, given the situation, it was always a possibility, y'know? So yeah, I prepared it in case we didn't make it to Hawaii and I made Kelly memorise it and everything – I did too. Obviously… Apparently this is the sort of spell that can only be done by the person who created the original portal in the first place… which is REALLY unfair and sucky. I mean, I'm a much more powerful witch than she was – or is, whatever – heck, some have called me a Sorceress. Why can't I undo her magic? It's… It's STUPID is what it is!"

The group stared at her though it was Dawn who actually spoke up. "You mean we're stuck here? For good?" She watched numbly as Willow nodded slowly, regretfully. "Yes I'm afraid so. The very fact that I can't do it means that the creator of the original spell – Kelly – is still alive. There must have been enough of Dawn's blood left to make another portal even as she fell. Unfortunately for us, that means we can't leave. The only chance we would have was if she recreated the spell and got through but how would she ever know to come through to a world from a video game rather than Hawaii?"

 

Dawn frowned.  “Well…can’t you just… create a completely new portal to get us home?  Y’know, use the original spell?”

 

Willow sagged as she looked at Dawn.  “That would be the problem – the spell that Kelly uses is still running… we would have to be able to break it before we could cast another one…  Also, there’s a very high chance that the ingredients we need aren’t even available in this world, given that it is a completely different reality.”  Plus, she was fairly certain she didn’t remember the spell – she had been too focused on the Sun spell to give too much attention to the portal.  Kelly should have been safe…

It was a stunned and silent group who made their way to civilisation, mourning for the life that they'd left behind them. So much for the portal allowing them escape from hell! Now, they found themselves in a totally foreign world, unsure of the reception that would greet them when they got to the town. At least the random encounters with monsters kept their mind off their problems for a while.

**Oo. Oo. Pp. Ss.**

When they got to the town, they realised they had a bigger problem: They had no currency to buy food or anything else that they needed. Of course, the random monsters had dropped bits and pieces but Xander assured them that they would need those.  Anything else of value had been left behind in safe boxes or such in other towns, to be collected after the battle so it wasn't lost when the Hellmouth collapsed. This unfortunately meant that they didn't even have anything of value they could trade and that was a big problem.

The group split up and went to look around: Dawn with Xander; Willow with Kennedy; Buffy with Giles. Sadly, when they got back, there wasn't really much to report. Nothing useful. Dawn and Xander seemed to have been the only ones with anything remotely positive to report. Dawn rifled in her pack for a hair band, fed up with her hair hanging in her eyes. She brushed it back and tied it back as she looked at her sister. "No real good news but some not terrible news, I guess - we found a deserted Church that at least offers a roof over our heads to camp in for a while. There's some flowers growing in it but that's about it. Doesn't look like there's been anyone there in years. Xander said it belonged to some dead chick called Aries or something." She ignored Xander's agitated sigh and complaint that it was 'Aerith'.

Buffy nodded. "Good. That's good. Churches are definitely good. Good work." She patted her sister's shoulder then sighed. Dawn smoothed her sister's errant fringe back out of her face. "Don't worry, Buffy. We're going to be fine. Okay, it's not home but, it's not that much different either, is it? I mean, we're together, aren't we? We've got each other; we've got Giles, Willow and Xander…Kennedy too, don't we? We're going to be okay. I've seen bits of this world while Xander was playing it, I remember seeing him getting money for fights with the monsters. We just haven’t encountered the right ones yet.  Plus, I’m sure that we can get someone to pay us to take care of these monsters, if they’re as bad as Xander claims. Also, you and Kennedy are super-strong, Willow has her magic, Giles is smart and I can do stuff too – I'm sure we can get other work if that doesn’t pan out."

Buffy forced her body to relax a little. "You're right. This definitely isn't any worse than anything else we've faced in the past - and it's definitely better than our time with Glory – or the First, even. This is bound to be a good change of pace, right?" She smiled a little when Dawn nodded enthusiastically. "Alright, let's get to the Church and we can all catch some sleep."

They all did their best not to think about the world they had left behind – they had to hope that Faith would be okay, that she could keep the group of Slayers together and alive.


	4. Chapter 4

It was fair to say that Cloud needed a break from Tifa. There were days in which she was just far too intense and it drove him almost to distraction. He loved her, of that he had no doubt – it had taken him a long time to realise that fact but he didn't doubt it now for a second - but she didn't seem to understand that he still needed space and quiet and solitude. That was why he kept the bike. He told her it was because he didn't want to give up the delivery service but the truth was he could have hired another person to do the work. He certainly didn’t need the money, but it gave him a valid excuse to be alone so for now at least, he would continue.

He always ended up at the same place anyway: Aerith's old Church. It was a good place to think and no one ever bothered him – not even bored children searching for a place to hide away during a game with their friends. No one was there, somehow always beside him, checking that he was alright, that he had everything he needed, that he was happy. He was just allowed to sit and think and be himself and mope if he so desired. And right then, he desired nothing more than to sit and mope for a while. He snorted, almost amused by that word: Mope. That's what Tifa called it. He preferred to call it thinking.

It had taken some convincing but he'd finally managed to convince his wife that he wasn't brooding over Aerith being gone because he loved her but rather because he'd failed her – and indeed Zack too. He had a lot in his life to think over. Of course, equally in his life, he had a lot to be thankful for. And he was thankful for Tifa and Marlene and Denzel and his friends but that didn't mean he couldn't miss those who were gone, did it?

He believed without a doubt that Aerith and Zack were happy wherever they had ended up, but that didn't mean that he didn't still miss them, or wish that they were still around and sometimes, he needed to just remember simpler times. It helped him to think of it. To remember what was good in the world and why it was worth fighting for - for those precious moments that made it all worthwhile. It helped because… well the truth was that he had a feeling that Sephiroth wasn't gone.

Then again, perhaps that was a normal feeling given that they'd all believed he was gone before but had come back and, rather than being some sort of omen or foreboding, it was just something meant to keep him on his toes. It certainly did that. He didn't dare risk relaxing and just sitting back, enjoying life as fully as he could. Sometimes, he felt that rather than pitying Sephiroth for not understanding, he hated him. Hated him for taking away everything – even his ability to relax and enjoy the here and now.

Why should he have to spend his whole life on edge, worried that he'd have to protect this world from another onslaught from Sephiroth, the crazy bastard that he was? It didn't seem fair. Then again, what in life WAS fair? Really, he was lucky in ways too – he had Tifa after all, and Marlene and Denzel in his life also. By most people's views, he was a lucky man indeed. He just wished he could stop feeling like he was sitting on a ticking time bomb.

He slowed as he got to the church, frowned as he saw dim, flickering lights inside – someone was clearly there and had lit the candles he'd left around it for those day when the dark descended earlier. He drew his sword and headed in cautiously, stopping when he got to the main body of the church, trying to make sense of the scene in front of his eyes.

It looked like a small group of survivors from a battle. But that was nonsense, surely – had there been a major battle, someone would have told him, wouldn't they? Someone would have expected him to be there, to save the day… At the very least, there would be news of it around town. Tifa would definitely have heard about it. No, more likely, they were a family out on vacation, their vehicle having broken down in the middle of nowhere so they were forced to walk here. It would explain the dirt and indeed the cuts and bruises – gained from protecting themselves from various monsters on the way to civilisation. Yes, that made sense to him.  He nodded and put his sword back into its case.

Buffy stared at the stranger. She'd heard his bike approaching, heard his cautious steps as he entered the building – they all had, no doubt.  She waited to see what he would do but it soon became apparent that he wasn't going to talk unless one of them did. That meant her, of course. Funny how she was the undisputed leader when it came to situations like this: Even Kennedy was perfectly willing to allow her to be in charge. (Thanks for that, Kennedy. Guess I should be grateful. You do have a tendency towards running your mouth off and making a situation worse – so completely different to Tara.) She stopped her errant thoughts there and focused back on Cloud. "Hi?"

Cloud frowned. "Who are you, why are you in here and what happened to you all?" He looked at them all more closely but didn't recognise any of their faces. That was rather odd, considering how many people he knew. They didn't even look vaguely familiar in the sense that he had saw them around somewhere or that they could be related to anyone he did know.

Xander appeared at Buffy's side, nudged her and spoke low. "That's Cloud Strife, Buffy. He's a lot older than he was in the game – or even the movie so it took me a while to recognise him, but it's definitely him. He's the hero of this world – one of the good guys. Wouldn't be a bad idea to have him on side. It'd certainly make things easier."

Buffy listened and nodded, all without taking her eyes off Cloud. "We mean you no harm. We were in a fight, lost all our belongings and figured we could seek shelter in here. We assumed it was abandoned given its state of disrepair."

Cloud frowned and cast his glance around at the mess he'd always meant to fix up but just never had the time to. "It is. Don't crush the flowers – they don't grow anywhere else down here and they're precious." He frowned. "So you have no money, no papers and no way to make money therefore nowhere to stay?"

Buffy frowned. "Oh, we can fight. We're definitely good at fighting but as to anything else… there's fighting, right?" She looked a little worried then. "There has to be fighting!"

Cloud raised a brow. "Clearly you're not THAT good at fighting or you wouldn't have ended up in this state and you would also have weapons."

Buffy glared at him, disliking him intensely for daring to suggest she wasn't up to par.  Before she could say a word though, Kennedy was right there, Willow beside her, speaking up. "It was a long and arduous fight. Just because we don't carry stupid big-ass swords like you do doesn't mean we are defenceless."  Buffy shrugged – she could find no fault with Kennedy’s words in this instance.

Willow’s hand appeared on Kennedy’s shoulder, squeezing softly in a move to calm and quieten her as well as hopefully to take over the conversation. "What Kennedy means is that it's been a long day, we're all tired out from a fight that nearly killed us and we really need to rest but that we also don't rely on weapons to keep us safe. Well okay, some of us do but as a group, we are perfectly capable of looking after themselves, believe me."

Cloud snorted disparagingly as he looked at them all in turn, disbelieving. "Right." He shook his head and looked up at the roof – or rather where the roof should be. "You can't stay here tonight anyway, there's a storm coming in and it'll be far too cold and wet here. Gather up your stuff, you can stay at the bar."

Buffy blinked but shrugged – she wasn't about to turn down the chance of a warm place to stay - especially if there was even the remote possibility of a comfy bed to sleep in. An hour or two of sleep in a warm bed, in a warm house without the threat of taking out uber-vamps, a Hellmouth, or decimating the forces of the First sounded heavenly to her. She looked back. "Well, you heard the man – let's grab our stuff and go."


	5. Chapter 5

After getting everyone settled in, the group sat around the table with Tifa and Cloud. They'd talked it through quickly and really, there was no reason to hide the truth from the duo. They had told Tifa and Cloud everything, backing up their truth with Willow's unusual magic not seen in that world and Buffy and Kennedy's strength, proving that what they said was true – they had come from a very different world.

Cloud blew out a breath, moving a stray lock of hair out of his eye. "Well, it's certainly a lot to process but it's feasible, given how different you are." He shrugged. "We could offer you work on the delivery business for a couple of you – it's not really busy enough to warrant more than that but with time, and with a bigger force, it could require it. Tifa, you can always use extra help in the bar, right? After that… well, you'll have to get other work. We can give you references to help with that when we get to know you all better."

Tifa nodded in agreement. "You should continue with your daily training, of course – by all accounts this world is different to yours but we have monsters too. The biggest difference is that ours are out in the open. We can teach you how to get money off them by stealing rather than just relying on what's occasionally left behind when you win. Also, while we might not have the sort of magic available to us that Willow has, we do have access to some, thanks to materia – you're going to love cure." She smiled at them all in turn.

**Oo.  Oo.  Pp.  Ss.**

So life progressed.  The Scooby Gang continued much as they had in their own world with nightly - and daily – patrols, keeping the monsters at bay, freeing Cloud from that worry and giving him time for himself as well as for his family. It seemed to take no time at all before Buffy and the rest had their own home – they had decided some time back that, while they could all afford their own places, they would much prefer to get a bigger space so that they could stay together. Old habits die hard, after all.

They had actually been in the world for almost ten years when things started to go awry. Cloud said that the marks polluting the skin of the young people of their world were Geostigma; that it was the sign that Sephiroth was indeed coming back as he'd feared for so long. He was also sure that he couldn't be stopped ahead of it, that he would have to be defeated when he was once more flesh and blood. Again.

He sighed and looked at Tifa. "I'm too old, love - much too old to fight to stop him now. I just can't do it, I'm sorry. I want to – if only for you, Marlene, Denzel and any children they might have but I would be no match for him with my rheumy eyes and arthritic joints."  Technically speaking, Cloud wasn’t that old but, the things that he had gone through – the chemicals that had pumped through his system years ago – had aged his physical body.  He could still fight the occasional monster when he had to but there was no way that he could manage the sustained violence that would be needed to defeat Sephiroth.

Tifa sighed and hugged him, clinging as tightly to him as she could. "It's alright, Cloud. This isn't our fight any more – no one can expect anything more of you – or of any of us. We're all much too old to be of use. You're hitting sixty, I'm a year behind you… Buffy and her friends though, they can do it. They can protect this world, can't they? We've seen what they can do Cloud - if you trained them in SOLDIER technique, they'd be a force to be reckoned with."

 

**Oo.  Oo.  Pp.  Ss.**

 

Buffy grinned as the two finished explaining things to them. "Well, it's been ten years since we've had a major battle. It's strange to say it because I never dreamt I would but I'd welcome it - the change from the norm. We'll do it – or rather, I will. I can't speak for the rest.”

Fighting the good fight though, was what they all lived for, whether they had realised it or not back when they lived in their original world. Of course they agreed to it. They had grown restless. Fighting monsters day and daily was all well and good but there weren't that many of them – for people who'd lived around the Hellmouth in Sunnydale, at least. Eventually, they'd grown bored and often went out of town, looking for new fights just to relieve their boredom. Even Dawn went out with Xander as they both had trained hard to do exactly that.  The monsters were so simple (or straightforward, rather – they weren’t always an easy fight but they were simpler to understand) compared to what they had faced in the past, that Buffy didn't fret about it – she'd actually been more worried when Xander and Dawn admitted to the group that they were in love and wanted to be together.  But they were both adults now - Buffy could only accept it and get on with her own life.

Their group were about the only ones on the planet who welcomed Geostigma for with it, came an increase in the monster population: Or perhaps just an increase on their attacks on the population. Whichever it was, it made for a happier group who were finally doing something more useful for the world at large than delivering parcels, serving food or beer or selling clothes.

Naturally as the oldest serving Slayer, it was agreed that Buffy would be the one to challenge Sephiroth. Kennedy would train too, obviously, but she was only backup in case the worst came to the worst.

Kennedy looked at Buffy and smirked. "Oh yeah, this silver-haired idiot's ass is grass!" Buffy frowned. "Don't get too cocky, Kennedy – that way leads to death on our parts – or ending up on the Dark Side with Darth Vader and Faith… of course Faith and Vader came back but the point of the matter is that they ended up there and I mean, I know that Willow was there and came back but I think it'd be nice if she didn't have to end up worrying about a partner who'd lost her…"She grimaced as she caught the look from the other Slayer. "Right. Sorry. Shutting up now. I just worry - don't want Will being hurt any further.  Or you."  She had finally grown to care for Kennedy as much as she did the rest of the group.  She even liked her.

Kennedy smiled in understanding. "I know Buffy. I don't plan to do anything to hurt Willow. I love her – she's the best thing that ever happened to me, but there's nothing wrong with believing in us, is there - in our skills? I mean, we were deadly before in our own world but with what we've learned now, with all that Cloud has taught us too… I can't help but feel that we're going to be more than okay."

Buffy conceded the point with a smile. "Hey, how about we grab Willow, Dawn and Tifa and go for a Girls' night out – or at least to a mall to invest in some pretty new shoes." Kennedy beamed back at her. "Awesome idea, Buff – let's do that."


	6. Chapter 6

The next day Buffy stood before Rufus Shinra with a box in her hands. "Cloud wanted you to hold onto this, Mister Shinra – he said to tell you that you're not to go jumping out of any windows or risking your life. This is just a stalling tactic, a way of slowing Sephiroth's appearance down a little so that we can be ready."

Rufus sighed and looked at the blonde woman and the box in her hand. Of course, he knew he really had no choice. Since the building had first fallen on him, changing his world-view forever, he'd used all of the many resources available to him and his company to repair the damage ShinRa had done to the world. He'd transformed the slums, made them somewhere that people were pleased to live; had opened orphanages and ensured that carers were properly trained – he'd used much of his own fortune to make it happen. Was it really that much to ask him to do this one more thing?

He nodded slowly. "Alright, I will do what I can to keep this safe until Cloud deems the time to be right." He noticed his worried remaining Turks and secretary, smiled reassuringly at them. "I promise not to jump off any more buildings. I'm much too old for that so don't worry." He took the box from the blonde-haired Slayer then looked at his Secretary. "How about for now, we take it and put it in the safe?"

She nodded and took the box from him in turn and moved over to the other side of the room and unlocked the safe door, setting the peculiar box inside out of sight then locked the door and moved back to her desk after ensuring that the President didn't need anything else.

**Oo.  Oo.  Pp.  Ss.**

At least Rufus could find some humour in the situation when the latest clone came to him – another male, not unlike Kadaj in looks and certainly with the same attitude. The situation wasn't **that** different – no sheet this time but the same wheelchair – definitely for necessity this time rather than part of a ruse - his hair now grey, streaked with only the occasional bit of blonde. Yes, time had taken its toll on the president but he had aged well – fortunately taking after his mother more than his father.

He peered at the Remnant curiously. "Do you have a name, little Remnant?" He snorted softly when the teenager remained silent. "No, I suppose it doesn't overly matter, does it? After all, you won't be around for long." He sighed and shifted in his chair. "Oh well, it matters not – Cloud deems it time so I will give you the rest of your 'Mother' and you can bring the terror that is Sephiroth back to this world and you can rest easy, I suppose. Job well done."

The Remnant seemed more than a little perplexed – he hadn't expected it to be so simple, had in fact been prepared to beat up the President's guards and take him hostage if necessary but there had been no need – the guards had even been so accommodating as to show him to the President's suite, seeming to be almost glad for him to be there.

He stared suspiciously at the secretary as she brought the box out of the nearby safe, he felt sure that it had to be a bomb or something but she'd even been happy enough to open it for him so he could look inside – the only condition that the President seemed to have was that they waited until they were clear of the city before doing anything with it.


	7. Chapter 7

Sephiroth took over the new body quickly and efficiently, moulding it to his shape in no time. He smiled as he looked around, Masamune once more in hand. He knew that he should be casting his thoughts to his mother and making this planet a more suitable vessel for sailing to her side but he had a more pressing matter to take care of… Cloud.

He smirked and headed out of the Forgotten City to see his old adversary. He didn't even bother registering his surroundings past making sure that he was on the right path – if he had, he mightn't have been so shocked by the sight that greeted him…

**Oo. Oo. Pp. Ss.**

"Good to see you, Cloud." He smirked and waited for the other to turn around, something different about him though he wouldn't be able to place it until the younger man turned around for him to get a good look at.

Cloud turned slowly, wanting to savour the look of shock that was bound to greet him when Sephiroth got a proper look at him. He wasn't disappointed – Sephiroth's gaze stuck on his face for a moment then travelled over his weakened body, finally registering the cane in his hand, supporting him. It wasn't actually necessary but Dawn had suggested it and the imagined look on Sephiroth's face was simply too much to resist. The delightful image in his mind hadn't even come close to matching the actuality.

Sephiroth shook his head slowly, uncomprehendingly. "What… happened to you?"

Cloud reacted slowly, as if he didn't fully grasp the question – or perhaps just didn't hear it well enough. "Oh. I see. Well, I grew old Sephiroth. That's what happens when you live."

Sephiroth felt absolutely lost – what was he meant to do now? This wasn't supposed to be how it went down! He was supposed to battle Cloud, time and again until finally he was victorious but how could he be victorious against this husk of a man and hold onto **any** honour doing so? He sagged visibly, unsure as how to proceed. Even the idea of just leaving right then and sailing the Cosmos to meet his mother was unappealing – how he could he face her when he hadn't even been worthy enough to vanquish one of his oldest foes?

**Oo. Oo. Pp. Ss.**

The Scooby Gang – minus Kennedy who was doing a quick patrol - stood in another room off to the side, watching events unfold. Xander was shaking his head slowly, totally in awe at seeing the coolest video game villains in the flesh, right there in front of him.

Dawn peered over his shoulder, wrinkled her nose. "He's not all that hot."

Willow snorted. "You say that because your type is Xander. Of course he wouldn't be that hot in comparison but even I can see that he's totally hot. Right Buffy?"

Buffy didn't even hear them. She was much too focused on the man in front of him. Yes, he was beautiful but all Slayer senses, which had remained dormant for most of her Slayer life, were now screaming at her that this man was a serious threat. She finally snapped out of it though when she registered Xander's comment: "Hello… earth to Buffy? Come in Buffy! Well, not earth any more but you know what I mean."

Buffy flushed faintly, turned around to look at him and the rest of her family. "I don't see why he's so threatening. I mean, take away the big-ass sword and what is he? Sure, he's got lovely hair but it's not all that. I mean, my hair could **totally** look that good if I had the time to look after it – and the patience to grow it out…and it wasn’t getting singed or snagged by the monster of the week…" She noticed the look she was getting from Giles. "What? Hair is important Giles. I bet people wouldn't be so afraid of him if it was shorter – say, it was a mullet?"

Giles sighed. "Nothing ever changes, does it? Absolutely amazing!" It seems that the more things change, the more they stay the same – it really is true. Every word of it."

Willow looked at Giles for a moment then shook her head, decided it was better to let him focus on being all British and worried for the moment. "Seems a shame to have to get rid of him, almost. I mean, clearly the evilness has to go but…"

Dawn looked at Sephiroth. "He used to be a really nice guy, once didn't he? I mean, that's what Xander told me – even more reserved than Giles."

Xander smiled and took Dawn's hand. "Yeah, that about sums it up. Y'know before he went all nuts, he was definitely a good guy." He frowned. "Shame really, that you couldn't just siphon off the crazy like the way that you did for Angel."

Giles frowned. "Xander really! Be serious – that was an entirely different thing altogether. For a start, Angel had lost his soul – Willow brought it back from the ether and returned it to him. To fix Sephiroth, you'd have to drain off the insanity and I don't imagine it works like that." He looked over at Willow for confirmation.

Willow's eye had taken on the certain light they got when faced with a rather perplexing puzzle – part joy, part resolution. Giles allowed himself to groan. "You're going to try anyway, aren't you?"

Willow beamed at him. "Yes, why not? What's there to lose?" Giles sighed. "What about your sanity, Willow? Or something more precious – lives?" She wasn't listening to him though – no great surprise there though, was there? He would have to start talking about new shoes or a new mall to get her attention to focus on him again.  It just wasn’t worth it.  Willow was instead, focusing on Sephiroth. She muttered something under her breath and focused even harder on him.

A few moments later, she gasped in surprise. "I can see it – there’s something off about him – it must be the Jenova thing.  It’s floating all around him.  It has to be that, that makes him all crazy. It's like…" She frowned, trying to think how to put it. "Remember that documentary, Xander? The one about the forest fires?"

Xander looked at her for a moment then nodded. "You mean about how a fire doesn't burn the plants around it directly but rather the gases around the plant that are released due to the heat of the fire?" At Willow's answering nod and smile, he had to smile himself. "So you're saying that Jenova isn't actually in him but around him, influencing everything he does, everything he touches."

They all turned to look at Sephiroth, contemplating whether or not this was something they could use. Buffy was the first to speak. "Can you do something with it, Willow?" Willow nodded slowly. "I'm going to need time but yes. Definitely."

**Oo.  Oo.  Pp.  Ss.**

 

Throughout their conversation, Sephiroth remained oblivious, all his attention focused fully on the old man in front of him. "Is this some sort of joke, Cloud? This can not be you! I refuse to believe that this is you."

Cloud snorted softly. "Oh, it's me alright, General. This is what happens to most humans – we grow old; we die - unless they're called Sephiroth apparently. You just die and come back and come back… doesn't it get wearying?"

Sephiroth frowned. "I… no. Why would it? My last memory is of you hurling your swords through me. I must admit that the pain was rather horrendous but that was apparently, a long time ago…" He eyed the man in front of him. "But do not change the subject - I planned to smite you before using this planet, sailing across the Cosmos to be by Mother’s side. How can I do that now when you're a decrepit old fool?"

Cloud raised a brow at the insult but said nothing about it. He even managed to smile a little. "Oh don't worry, Sephiroth – if it's a fight you need, then you shall of course have one." He gestured off to the side. "I have trained a couple of rather amazing women to take my place, to give you the fight you so desperately seem to need."

Sephiroth blinked, turned slowly to look, following the progress of the tiny blonde, as she seemed to saunter into the room, a presence about her that he could neither deny nor understand. He looked back at Cloud though, bewildered. "This? This… **woman**? You think I will fight a woman when I will not fight an old man? Do you imagine that I have no moral compass whatsoever, Cloud? You do me a great disservice, thinking in this manner."

Buffy snorted at that.  “Says the man who plans to destroy all life on this planet – women and children included obviously, just so he can get back to his mommy!”

Sephiroth’s eyes bugged a little at that but before he could say anything, Buffy continued, folding her arms in front of her, as she glared at the man. "But yeah – Cloud definitely doesn't do you a single bit of disservice, you pompous ass! I'm more than capable of taking care of myself and I don't need you being all gallant and stuff either." She was stopped in her tirade by a cough from the room to their side, she looked to see Willow gesturing, reminding her of the plan. "…And I'll be more than happy to show you by pounding you into the ground – not right now though, obviously."

Sephiroth actually laughed then. "You amuse me little girl but I will not fight you. You look fragile and easily broken." He registered surprise therefore when Buffy moved faster than he would have thought possible and landed heavy blows to his stomach from both her fists winding him without any visible effort from her.

He supposed he should be angry but somehow, something inside him was singing – it would appear he had found himself a worthy opponent after all – even more so than Cloud had been. He could most definitely go to his mother with his head held high. This made him happy. He even agreed to her terms of a week to prepare. It was useful to him also – he would need time to ensure that this body was fully familiar to him.

 


	8. Chapter 8

A week later, Buffy stood in the open space with her friends waiting for the ex-General to show up. She lazily watched Giles pace restlessly, a worried frown marring his features.

He stopped and looked at Willow. "You're quite sure about this, Willow? Isn't there any way to just do the spell before the fight takes place?" He sighed as Willow shook her head.

"No Giles. I mean, it's possible in theory to do the spell before the fight but he has to be present for it and I seriously doubt that he'd just calmly stand by while I did a spell that siphoned off his 'mother'. It has to be this way but I promise I'll make it quick – it would be a shame if Buffy killed him. I think I'd like to meet the sane man rather than the crazy mental patient."

Buffy had to agree. Since first meeting him, she'd had nothing but strange dreams about the man in question - dreams that baffled her no end. She had initially thought they were Slayer dreams but that didn't fit at all – not given the content. She had almost confided in the gang about them but she couldn't quite face any 'humorous' comments that she would receive from Xander because he would invariably joke about how she was having sexy dreams about the strange man but it wasn't that – not at all.

Her dreams weren't about sex. Not even close – they were… peaceful. If she were being honest with herself, she would even say that they filled her with a longing to have the life that she saw so briefly at night but that was silly. And impossible – even in this world, she hadn't been able to find normal. When they'd first arrived there, she'd had hopes but over a decade of celibacy had taken those ideas from her. She still had that ridiculous sensation of… **waiting**. For what, she didn't know. She seriously doubted it was for Sephiroth. Though admittedly, he was exactly the sort of man she'd go for, wasn't he?  She smiled a little bitter-sweetly as an image of Spike flashed into her mind.

Buffy shook her head, pushing such silly notions aside and focused on what her friends were saying. She watched as Willow moved a little bit away, followed by Xander and Dawn who would watch over and protect her while she did the spell that would hopefully remove Jenova and bring Sephiroth's humanity to the fore. She looked at Giles and sighed. "Well, wish me luck or something, Giles."

Giles sighed but smiled at her in his usual reassuring manner. "You're going to be fine, Buffy - in fact, you are going to be more than fine. He won't know what hit him but just remember to not kill him. No point Willow doing this spell on a dead man, after all. I must admit, I am looking forward to watching this spell take place – it should be an interesting transition."

Buffy would have replied but the hairs on the back of her neck were suddenly standing on end, her senses tingling: Sephiroth was here. She turned slowly to look at him or where he would soon appear.

She wasn't disappointed, at least – he was just as visually stunning as he had been the last time she saw him. He was sadly, also as prudish or whatever the word was the last time she saw him too. After all the usual battle smartass comments were out of the way, he simply stood ready… ready to deflect a blow or protect himself – clearly he didn't believe one hundred percent that she was in fact up to this fight.

She smirked and drew the sword that Cloud had had made especially for her – it was apparently similar to the one that Kadaj had used before his demise. He'd offered to lend her his but she felt somehow, that the heavy sword wasn’t meant to be used by her.  Maybe that was just because it had once belonged to Cloud’s friend or perhaps it was just that it was far too showy for her tastes and she was too polite to say it. Whatever the truth, she seen the simple katana and known that it was **hers** – a similar sensation, she supposed to the feeling she had gotten when she had picked up the Scythe but still… hers.  While the blade was clearly shorter than Sephiroth's Masamune, it would serve her purposes well.

She lunged at him. With some surprise registering on Sephiroth's features, the fight was on. Buffy was doing her utmost to keep him busy whilst Willow carried out the complex spell off to the side, unseen by Sephiroth – then again, perhaps he saw but didn't register it as any sort of potential threat to him.

Willow flopped down on the ground half an hour later, exhausted. "Okay, that should about do it…" She took a breath and sat up, her eyes casting over to the two fighting people. She punched the air in delight as she saw Buffy hesitate, the blonde having spotted something coming over the ex-General. Sephiroth took a little longer to realise that something was changing. Masamune moved to take advantage of the blonde's moment of … indecision or whatever it was but fortunately for Buffy he never got a chance.

**Oo.  Oo.  Pp.  Ss.**

As Jenova's essence was pulled from him, Sephiroth sagged then collapsed clumsily to the ground. He stayed like that for some time, feeling exhausted and bewildered and wondering just what on earth had happened to make him feel so out of sorts. He finally discovered the presence of mind to look up and around him, trying to work out just where he was. He studied the blonde in front of him with much confusion.

Buffy for her part, was staring back at him curiously.  She sensed that he was different, that he wasn't a threat – or at least, not right then. She had to assume then, that Willow's spell had been a success. She cast her gaze over to her friend and indeed, she was giving her the thumbs up, telling her that yes, Jenova's essence had been captured in the thing that looked so much like the Orb of Thessula. Well, this could certainly be very strange.

Still having no idea what was going on, Sephiroth could only cast his gaze around wildly, looking desperately for someone that he recognised, someone that would make all this make sense. He finally spotted someone he thought he recognised – the cadet… a friend of Zack’s...Cloud. Though it took him a moment to realise that he was indeed himself. He was so **old**. He frowned as his memories started to catch up a bit and he remembered that this was correct. He looked back at Buffy. "What… who are you?"

Buffy offered her hand out to him, to help him up. "A friend, if you want it." She couldn't help but be reminded of Angel all those years ago – his wildness when he'd first come back from the hell dimension when she'd been forced to send him there or give up the world, her heart gave the same painful tug at the memory of it and she offered him aid because of it.

Sephiroth considered her and her outstretched hand for a moment, considered his own body – he somehow felt that he was a little too shaky to stand on his own but he wanted to stand. He felt vulnerable sitting there. He took her hand just as she had made a move to withdraw it.

He stood and looked down on her. He hadn't realised just how short she was when he was peering up at her but she was **tiny**. Yet if his slowly returning memory was to be believed, she had nearly bested him in a fight… how was that even possible? Were there really materia out there strong enough to allow that?


	9. Chapter 9

A short while later, Sephiroth was sitting on a bed in a bedroom in the back of Tifa and Cloud’s pub. It didn't come much more mundane than that, did it? He was perplexed by all that Cloud was telling him – it was hard to believe that things had gotten so bad so quickly and yet he knew the man wasn't lying to him. It was - to quote a phrase of Xander's – mind-boggling.

Would he feel guilt? He didn't right then at least but, perhaps that would come along with his full memories. Willow couldn't even answer that and she seemed to have answers to all sorts of rather peculiar questions – Giles and Dawn too. It was all so strange to him. He did feel grief over the loss of his brothers-in-arms Genesis and Angeal. He doubted he would ever stop missing them if he was really being allowed to stay. Zack too though it was a duller pain – he hadn't known him as long but it seemed to please Cloud at least that he was upset by the other man's passing.  The name Aerith was one that he had whispered amongst them but no one had yet confronted him with it.  That was… probably just as well.

**Oo.  Oo.  Pp.  Ss.**

Time passed speedily enough. It took the Scooby Gang some time to get used to the ex-General's strange mannerisms and way of speaking – in many ways, he seemed even more formal than Giles – even Giles struggled at times to understand his thinking but he had to admit that he liked the other man and indeed, felt a kinship with him – especially when he looked on, clearly baffled by the chat between Buffy, Willow, Xander and the others.

Sephiroth often found himself puzzling over their strange turns of phrase and the words they used but nothing was more puzzling to him as when he found himself uttering those same words – and in the correct context – like his use of the word 'awesome'. It seemed like a slightly silly word to him and its use was odd but yes, it was stuck with him now. Xander had even tried to teach him the Snoopy Dance of Joy but he definitely drew the line there – if he **had** to be forced to dance, it would be the proper way of doing so – in a ballroom with set steps. This for some reason seemed to delight the females of the company. From Rupert it earned a satisfied nod.

Buffy sighed as Willow, Dawn and Kennedy all insisted that he teach them how to dance. She always managed to find an excuse to not be there at those times. She just… found Sephiroth a little too weird - a nice guy for sure, but weird. She didn't doubt that he felt the same way about her – though he'd phrase it a little differently of course. He'd say something like 'she's a nice woman of course, but a little peculiar in her ways.' Something like that, anyway. Something Giles-ish. He still put the Slayer in her on edge – if he entered a room, no matter how quietly, she knew it. She could have pinpointed his position much more accurately than she'd ever been able to pinpoint the position of a vampire or demon back in the other world. It unnerved her greatly and even scared her a little – not that she would ever admit **that** to anyone. It was the 'scared' part that had her keeping her distance from him. Usually if a Slayer was scared of something, they overcame the fear and killed it. It was hardly a good idea given the situation, was it?

**Oo.  Oo.  Pp.  Ss.**

It had been nearly two years now since Sephiroth’s return – to both the world and to sanity. At the start, he had kept waiting for the insanity to return - the rest of them too. He assumed that was the reason behind keeping him busy with the dancing lessons and stories of their world and of his. Now though, even Cloud had seemed to tire of always watching over him, trusting that actually, Willow's spell had been binding and permanent. So while **they** trusted him to not doing anything crazy like try to end the world, he didn't trust himself in the same manner, always trying to second-guess himself and his actions, wondering just why he was doing something – was it because he really wanted to or was it because he was trying to lull both himself and them into a false sense of security, purely so that he could stab them in the back with Masamune? It was threatening to make him crazy in a more normal human manner that would see him gibbering in a corner in the middle of padded cell, drool coming from the corner of his mouth.

Buffy not usually the most observant of human nature, did notice his sense of displacement – he seemed to her to be much like she had after digging her way out of her own grave years ago - and took pity on him. Initially she'd asked the others to do more stuff with him but they'd already tried the different ways they could think of and he still remained somehow lost and isolated. It was after Dawn gave her the Summers' look and told her that he was lonely, that perhaps given the fact that his loneliness was the same as Buffy's, she should spend some actual time with him and get to know him and perhaps together, they could be less lonely – romantic involvement or not. Buffy looked at her sister like she was crazy – of course there would be no romantic involvement! The very idea of it made her shiver.

She supposed it wouldn't hurt to get to know him though even if the idea of the romance that Dawn spoke was laughable. That was why she came to his room on the twenty third month and asked him to train and fight the monsters with her. If nothing else, a part of her sensed that he would be able to understand her continuing aloneness. She had thought that feeling was gone when the Potentials were changed to full Slayers but somehow, that feeling came back, stronger than ever. Then again, perhaps it was simply that she was still alone relationship-wise. The others had after all, been lucky enough to find someone that matched them, someone that understood. She was effectively alone – never more so than in this world. If anyone could understand that feeling, it would be Sephiroth. It would be comforting to have someone to share that with, someone who wasn't always happy because they had found their other half; someone that wasn't cursed to lose their soul when they had sex; or who decided to go out in a ball of fire just as you realised you loved them…

She forced herself to stop brooding right there. Thinking like that led to thoughts of Angel: Did he know she was gone? Did he miss her? Mourn her… Was Spike watching her, wherever he was now, wishing her luck in what she did? All pointless, of course - things were as they were, better to deal with it and get on with life. It wasn't even like it was a bad life in this world – they'd all long ago stopped asking Willow to try the Portal spell. This was their world now and they would look after it as long as they could and that was that!

So Sephiroth and Buffy trained together, taking comfort in the other's presence as well as in the understanding they felt from the other. Sometimes they trained and it was just the two of them, sometimes the others watched. It was always interesting watching them – he was stronger even than either Angel or Spike, definitely stronger than Riley, in fact, they seemed to be a near perfect match – they both looked a lot more peaceful when facing each other in combat plus it was very much like a dance the way they moved together. So much so that Dawn had commented that they should perhaps **be** together...

Even though Xander couldn't be happier with Dawn, there was still a part of him that was more protective over Buffy than he should be and he balked at the very idea of it. Dawn fortunately just smiled indulgently, patted his cheek gently and said that it wasn't for him to decide.


	10. Chapter 10

It was on a routine patrol that Buffy realised that the feelings she had assumed were caused by her Slayer senses might actually have been her long-dormant heart. She supposed this realisation had come at a strange time – or rather, for a very strange reason. Eleven monsters had ambushed them – big, ugly ones too, coloured like week-old bruises, with a name she never remembered. As she took each one out, she made her usual puns. Of course she was keeping an eye on Sephiroth out of the corner of her eye. He was more than capable of looking after himself but some habits were hard to break. What had really given her pause though, was that after making her usual pun, she noticed on checking on him that he was laughing – genuinely amused.

Such a simple thing really but it caused her heart to nearly do a cartwheel in her chest. She brushed it aside, regardless to concentrate on her next victim. On dispatching it, she looked over once more, again the genuine amusement as he heard her pun was clear… and Buffy finally accepted that somehow, despite her not even trying, she had fallen in love.

**Oo.  Oo.  Pp.  Ss.**

Buffy looked at her sister obstinately. "Okay, you're right – you guessed right, Dawnie. I love him. Of course I do. I half-way don't understand it because he hardly says anything but then he's so sweet and gentlemanly and interested and interesting and the **hair**! It's so pretty, isn't it? Almost makes me jealous."

Dawn beamed at her sister. "I knew it! You totally have to tell him, Buffy. I know he loves you too. It's so obvious!"

Buffy looked doubtful then. "It is **not** obvious, Dawn. I think you're imagining things. He doesn't treat me any differently from the rest of you." She ignored her sister's snort, so clearly in disagreement. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. You know what happens any time I love a guy – they leave. Pike, Angel, Parker, Riley… Spike. All gone, Dawnie."

Dawn nodded in understanding. "You don't want him to leave too. He's too important… but Buffy, he's not going anywhere. Why would he?" Buffy though, refused to be swayed. It would take another six months and a slightly stunned Sephiroth to change anything for them both…

It was on a routine patrol that things finally changed: They'd been ambushed, Sephiroth knocked to the ground, hitting his head on a rock as he did so – he'd lost some of his old gracefulness and speed the day that he'd lost Jenova's influence but that was a small price to pay, he felt, to be sane and allowed to exist in the world, surrounded by people who accepted him despite his odd ways and his terrible past… who might even care for him, in fact. He lay in a heap on the ground, the world spinning around him slightly as he watched in admiration as Buffy dispensed of the last of their attackers. She didn't even bother with puns that time, preferring instead to dispense with them all as quickly as possible so she could check on her companion. She cast a worried glance at him afterwards, reached down and offered her hand to him and he took it.

His intention had been to stand of course but somehow, she'd slipped or he'd pulled her down – he wasn't exactly sure which but he suspected that he'd miscalculated how much strength he was using when he went to stand or then again, perhaps it had been intentional – or rather, his unconscious mind had decided that then was the perfect opportunity. It didn't matter in that moment. All that mattered was that suddenly there she was, splayed on top of him, their eyes locked…

Sephiroth had never been overly sure of women or what to do with them.  Well, obviously he knew the basics.  He had read extensively on that subject as much as anything else but, he had spent most of his early years in the lab and then there had been fighting – never any real time to take the theory into practice, despite once having what Genesis used to refer to as ‘rabid fangirls’.  Perhaps despite all that, being normal was something found in the genes because when it came right down to it, his body seemed to know what to do - his fingers moved up to touch her cheek, marvelling at the softness of the skin beneath his digits. The next thing he registered was that Buffy's lips were upon his and she was kissing him – or he was kissing her… it didn't really matter which did it? Neither was putting up a fight whichever it was.

When they separated, long moments later, they looked both of them, more than a little dazed and surprised but most definitely happy.


	11. Chapter 11

Buffy and Sephiroth were married in less than a year. It seemed the logical thing to do – their relationship was going from strength to strength, they could hardly bear to spend so much as a day apart from each other and both of them seemed complete in a way that no one could ever have envisaged for either of them before then.

As they made their way out of the Church – fixed up specifically for the occasion by Xander and a team of willing helpers funded by Rufus Shinra, all care taken to preserve the flowers – Cloud couldn't help but watch them, shaking his head in amazement. "Who would have thought it Tifa? That Sephiroth would settle for such a normal life - married and even talking about adopting children."

Tifa smiled fondly and patted his hand. "All good things come to those who wait, Cloud."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
